ABS Now Distributing QubicaAMF Products in Japan

QubicaAMF Worldwide has entered into a distributor agreement with American Bowling Service, Inc. in Japan. Effective April 1, ABS is serving as QubicaAMF’s exclusive, full-line distribution partner in Japan for capital equipment, automatic scoring, parts, supplies and pins.

ABS is the largest distributor and manufacturer of bowling supplies in the Far East, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014. The company was established in 1964 as a distributor of bowling balls in Japan, and currently has headquarters in Ota-ku, Tokyo.

In 2003, the ABS Logistics R&D Center was established in Ichikawa-City, Chiba. ABS sponsored the 37th ABS Japan Open Bowling Tournament in Inazawa, Aichi in 2013, which was the 10th consecutive crown sponsorship.

“…We wanted a local partner whose main focus and primary business is bowling, and like QubicaAMF, whose success is linked to the bowling industry,” said Emanuele Govoni, President and CEO of QubicaAMF. “ABS has a long history in bowling, a well-respected reputation, and strength and longevity as a company. We are looking forward to this partnership and to further developing and growing the bowling market in Japan.”

Emanuele Govoni of QubicaAMF and Mr. Watanabe of ABS shake on the deal that makes ABS the distributor of QubicaAMF equipment in Japan, effective April 1.

Said Mr. Tamotsu Watanabe, the CEO of ABS: “We are excited about the opportunity to add the full line of QubicaAMF equipment to our offerings… We are eager to represent the industry’s best and broadest product line in our market, including some of their most innovative products such as the BES X Bowler Entertainment System, XLi EDGE Pinspotter, Harmony Furniture, the new CenterPunch Deck Lighting and… pins. We see this as a great fit for our operation.”

Effective March 31, Daifuku Plusmore and QubicaAMF mutually decided to end their distribution agreement. Daifuku’s primary business is in machine automation, and this is where they see the company focusing in the future.

“We would like to thank Daifuku for their long association with our company,” Govoni said. “They have served the market and our Japanese customers very well. We are very appreciative of all they have done for our customers for almost 10 years, and we wish them continued success.”

The majority of Daifuku’s employees who were associated with bowling have transferred to ABS. For customers, it will be business as usual, ensuring a seamless transition of skills, projects, warranty, customer support and continuity of service.

Bob Johnson has received more national writing awards than any other bowling writer — close to 70 over the course of his 40-year career. He began at age 16 as a staff writer and then assistant editor for the weekly Pacific Bowler newspaper in his native California, and within three years was writing feature stories for Bowlers Journal. He has written for the magazine ever since, except for a five-year span when he was hired as the founding editor of another magazine. He moved to Chicago in 2000 and spent 13 years in the Windy City, including five as Bowlers Journal’s Editor. In 1975, Johnson received the Robert E. Kennedy Award as California’s top undergraduate high school journalist. Five years earlier, on the lanes, he had shared the Bantam Division Doubles championship in the Orange County Junior Bowling Association Championships. Today, he continues to work full-time for Bowlers Journal as its Senior Editor, to write his popular “Strikes Me” column, and to edit Luby Publishing Inc.’s weekly business-to-business Cyber Report.